"Debut went from tough to terrific" - Fans react to Harshit Rana's stunning spell in IND vs ENG 2025 1st ODI

Team India pacer Harshit Rana had an impressive ODI debut as he bagged a three-wicket haul in the side's series opener against England at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur on Thursday, February 6. England won the toss and chose to bat first in the encounter.

Rana was handed the new ball by skipper Rohit Sharma. He was under pressure after English opener Phil Salt took him to the cleaners in the sixth over of the innings. The swashbuckling batter hit three sixes and two fours off the pacer's bowling in a single over.

However, Rana redeemed himself in his very next over, claiming the wickets of Ben Duckett and Harry Brook. The talented youngster later sent back the dangerous Liam Livingstone in the 36th over.

Rana finished with figures of 7-1-53-3 and earned widespread praise on social media for his bowling exploits. Here are some of the top reactions on X:

"Harshit Rana’s debut went from tough to terrific! After a shaky start (3-1-39-0), he bounced back brilliantly to finish with 3/53 in 7 overs at an economy of 7.60. A strong comeback!"

It is worth mentioning that Rana became the first Indian bowler to take three or more wickets in each of his debut innings across three formats. Many fans predicted a bright future for the fast bowler.

"Keep flying Harshit Rana, keep making us proud, I believe you have the skills to be successful in the international. We could not have that one win in BGT also without your support.He will be the super star in next 2 years," wrote a fan.

"What a debut for Harshit Rana! 3 wickets for 53 runs against England. The future of Indian bowling looks bright," commented another.

"Harshit Rana is rising future star. Fabulous day for debutant," chimed in yet another.

Harshit Rana and Ravindra Jadeja claimed three wickets apiece, while Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel and Mohammed Shami finished with one scalp each. England were bundled out for 248, with Jos Buttler (52) and Jacob Bethell (51) emerging as their top performers.

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"Dream come true moment for me, but I've worked hard for it" - Harshit Rana on his memorable ODI debut

Speaking at the post-innings interview, Harshit Rana expressed his delight at the wonderful ODI debut. He stated that it was like a dream come true for him.

He mentioned that skipper Rohit Sharma asked him to bowl at the stumps consistently. Commenting on his spell, Rana said:

"Dream come true moment for me, but I've worked hard for it. Idea to bowl in the same areas, but I adjusted it and the rewards came through. Whenever they got the room, they were freeing the arm, Rohit told me to keep the stumps in play. It's a double paced wicket, it's stopping coming. We've bounced back well with the way they started, it's a good total, we can chase it down."

The last three months have been fantastic for Rana. He made his Test debut in the opening encounter of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 in Australia.

He then made his maiden T20I appearance in the recently concluded five-match series against England after coming in as a concussion substitute for Shivam Dube in the fourth fixture.